


And then they kissed

by gusulanbaby (bigleosis)



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Ace looks for Taemin, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angel Kim Jongin | Kai, Angel's EXO, Angels are Dicks, Cruel Angels, Demon Lee Taemin, Demon's Shinee, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Exo caring about Jongin, Exo is family, Jongin POV, Jongin has a big heart, M/M, Minor Character Death, Not nice angels, X-Exo looks for Jongin, caring demons, not exo tho, sweet demon Taemin, they/them pronouns for demons, tw child death, tw death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28589268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigleosis/pseuds/gusulanbaby
Summary: Jongin turned his head at a small sniffle to see the tears in Taemin’s eyes. “It’s not fair of them treating you like this. You did nothing wrong.”Jongin lifted his head so he could take Taemin’s free hand in his. “Neither did she. Neither did any of my fosterlings. You said it the first time we met, Taemin: I have a big heart, I sense their hurt because I know exactly how they feel. What it means to be different. I gave all of them my everything and yes it is cruel to follow them through their lives, to watch over them, to guide them and protect them. But they have no one else who would do it.” Jongin’s finger stroked over Nike’s cheek. “It’s not much different from what my brothers did for me all the time. They protected me, guided me, loved me when no one else did. I always have been prone to give into my darker thoughts, to dwell on these emotions, let the things others think or say about me get the better of me. But a few weeks ago things started to change …”“Why?” Taemin asked, voice curious.“Because I met you,” Jongin said.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	And then they kissed

**Author's Note:**

> TW! Please be aware that in this story the death of a child is mentioned. It's not displayed in any graphic way and that the cause of death is because she's sick. I know it's a tough topic and can trigger some of you. So please be careful.

**And then they kissed**

Defaced - Disfigured - Ugly - Monstrosity - Abysmal - Horrible - Hideous 

An abnormity.

A disgrace for all angels.

Jongin kneeled at the lake of his family's proximity, looking into the deep pit of the water, it’s mirror-like surface that couldn’t be disrupted by anything. Jongin let his fingers trail over the dark reddish circles underneath his eyes, his mismatched eyes staring back at him, no emotion visible in them. His black hair shimmered dark-green in the sun, complementing the colour of his eyes, but making him look even more unnatural. Jongin’s fingers trailed over the scab on his lower lip. Whenever he thought it would finally heal and go away, the spot would break open again and restart to heal. It gave him a constant look of destruction like he had been in a fight and took an especially hard hit to his mouth.

He wasn’t as pretty or handsome as his siblings, or the other angel’s that wandered earth.

Jongin knew that he wasn’t normal, that something went wrong when he was created and he turned out like … this. 

A disgrace.

And it wasn’t like the other angels would ever let him forget. The only angelic thing about him were his wings. The same crisp white as anyone’s, but Jongin was apprehensive to use them, to show them as openly and freely as most of his siblings did.

It didn’t matter how often Junmyeon and Yixing talked to him about it and tried to give him the feeling that he was normal, that there was nothing wrong with him. 

It didn’t matter how often Sehun or Minseok would sit down and watch him dance, or how Chanyeol and Baekhyun were ready to fight anyone who said something derogatory about him. Or when Jongdae slipped in his bed, holding him through another crying-fit while Kyungsoo cooked his favourite meal for him.

One word, one look from the other angels was enough to send him spiralling again.

Jongin wished he would be stronger, more resistant against the hate, the antipathy. But he was a simple being and wanted to be loved like anyone else. But he knew that he would never be able to get it.

Who would ever be able to love him? With the way he looked? No one, that’s who and Jongin knew that. It didn’t bother him as much anymore as it once did. Maybe he was doomed to be alone and that was fine. He had his brothers and they would always watch out for each other. But sometimes, Jongin simply wished that it could be possible. That there was someone out there in the wide world who would see past his looks, who would take him for who he was and who didn’t reduce him to it.

A breeze ruffled through the trees around him and Jongin lifted his head from the surface of the lake, closing his eyes to let the sun warm his face. It was a beautiful day. The first warm day of spring and while the others had thought it would be awesome to go to the city for a bit of shopping, Jongin had stayed back and decided to sit by the lake. Enjoy the warmth and silence as long as it lasted. With nine people in the house, it was always loud and bustling and as much as Jongin enjoyed it, sometimes some peace and quiet were nice too.

Jongin leaned back on his hands, stretching out his legs and listened. At first, it seemed eerily quiet, but soon he could hear the rustling of the trees, how the branches brushed against each other with the soft wind that was blowing over the land. There were little sounds of crickets in the grass around him, the buzzing of bees and bumblebees, faint chirps from the birds and splashes when fishes breached the surface of the lake. Jongin could even hear the quack of some frog close to the shore. He smiled at the blue sky above him, eyes still closed, scrunching his nose a bit when something touched his cheek, probably the wings of a butterfly.

Jongin felt good. He felt content and in balance with himself for the first time in a long while. Nothing too bad had happened in the last few weeks, mostly because he had stayed at the house most of the days while his brothers had gone to meetings and did their job in protecting humans. He knew that he couldn’t keep it that way forever, that he had to get a grip on himself and face reality. But not every day was the same and he felt drawn to those humans who struggled with themself, Jongin always wanted to protect them, to shield them from harm, to give them the feeling of belonging and that it was okay not to be okay sometimes. It was … well it was human. Jongin could relate to this, even when he, as an angel, shouldn’t have any feelings like that. It wasn’t needed from them. 

They had to protect and guide their assigned mortals as best as they could and that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. But somehow Jongin wasn’t able to do _‘just that’_ somehow. He always wanted to do a tad more than was necessary. His brothers tried to understand why he was so prone to the human’s moods. Jongin’s wild guess was that he himself wasn’t as perfect as the other angels, that he could relate to the feeling to be insufficient. A small sigh fell from his lips and he let his head drop back. It didn’t do any good to follow these thoughts now. 

When a shadow fell on his face, Jongin frowned. There hadn’t been any clouds in the sky when he went outside and his brothers couldn’t be back home. That would have been a rather short shopping trip. His frown and confusion got even bigger when he heard some quiet rustling behind him and a hum, at which Jongin slowly blinked his eyes open and he came face to face with the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, kneeling behind him. Even when he looked at them upside down, Jongin was mesmerized by the others beauty. Unblemished fair skin, a pretty straight nose and wonderful big brown eyes. The blond curls that framed the handsome face curled lightly at the ends. The plush lips formed a perfect ‘o’ looking at Jongin.

“Oh my,” they breathed, “aren’t you the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen?”

“Stop mocking me,” Jongin growled when he turned around, moving backwards and away from the intruder, who inclined their head a bit, looking at Jongin in confusion.

“Why should I mock you?” 

Their voice sounded honest, but Jongin had heard that before and knew that he would get teased and shit-talked later. The other sat down in the grass, not moving closer to Jongin, seemingly feeling his unease.

“Isn’t that what you do when you meet someone looking as hideous as me?”

A frown appeared between beautifully shaped eyebrows. “That would be utterly cruel,” the stranger answered with a calm voice. “I just have met you and what I have seen so far is beautiful. Whoever called you hideous should be ashamed of themself. That’s not very nice.”

“That’s what I have been called since forever,” Jongin answered with a frown on his own face. “Ugly, monstrosity, a shame for the angelic race …”

“Hypocrites,” the other mumbled under their breath. “I think you are beautiful. I have never seen someone with eyes like yours. They compliment the colour of your hair.” A smile appeared on the other’s face, which made their cheeks bunch up cutely. “My name is Taemin. What is your name? I can’t call you beauty the whole time.” Taemin placed a fingertip against his lip. “Well, I could. But I am not sure how much you would like that, …”

“Jongin,” he whispered. “My name is Jongin.” And it made Taemin smile even wider.

“Nice to meet you Jongin.”

Jongin nodded. “Are … are you an angel too?”

He wouldn’t be surprised. Taemin was unimaginable beautiful, even prettier than Jongdae and in Jongin’s humble opinion his brother was one of the beauteous creatures in all worlds. Taemin had a lean built and with the dark see-through shirt underneath a white jacket and matching trousers, they looked as ethereal as any angel ever could. The light pinkish eyeshadow that framed their eyes gave them a very soft touch as well.

But Jongin’s question only elicited a quiet chuckle from Taemin.

“Once I was,” they answered. “But that was a very long time ago.”

Jongin’s eyes grew wide. They … Taemin was a demon. A creation that was known for their cruel and wicked nature, Jongin’s natural enemy. It made Jongin’s heart race to come this close to a demon. It was his first time ever since his creation as he was very well shielded from their worlds.

Jongin tried to get up and scramble away from Taemin, which nearly ended with him falling into the lake as he tripped over his own legs and he was only saved by a strong hand that wrapped around his upper arm.

“Careful,” Taemin said as they pulled Jongin back on solid ground.

Jongin stared at Taemin with huge eyes before they wandered down to the hand that was wrapped around his naked arm, touching his skin without hesitation. Taemin’s palm felt warm against Jongin’s and it sent a shiver through his body, something that made Jongin squirm a bit with discomfort. Normally everyone avoided to touch him, aside from his family. They were disgusted by him, but Jongin had gotten used to it over the years and as long as he could get his hugs and snuggles from his brothers it was okay. They were more than happy to provide their sibling with what he needed.

Taemin let their thumb glide over Jongin’s skin and when he looked back up their eyes met again. Arctic blue and emerald green met a pair of rich chocolate brown ones and Jongin felt his breath hitch when he didn’t see the usual disgust. A soft smile played around Taemin’s lips and they let go of Jongin reluctantly.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Jongin mumbled, replacing Taemin’s hand with his own, half-hugging himself.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Taemin asked. “You gave me no reason so far to act any different. You deserve to be treated with respect and kindness like everybody else.”

“But … my face …”

Taemin frowned deeply. “What does your face have to do with it? You are very pretty Jongin, as I said before. You are beautiful and your looks have nothing to do with your behaviour. As far as I can tell you are a very nice person. Or am I wrong?”

“No,” Jongin breathed. “But you are a demon…”

Taemin reached out, tracing his fingers over the outside of Jongin’s hand. “I am. I don’t know if they still feed you the same lies about us, but I am neither cruel nor wicked … well okay, maybe I am a bit wicked, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t see beauty in others. For me, it doesn’t matter how you look, Jongin. What matters is what’s in there.” Taemin poked Jongin’s chest, right over his heart. “And from what I feel you have a very big heart and empathy for others. Which is a good thing.”

Jongin felt the heat rising on his cheeks and he tried to hide his face from Taemin, which made the other chuckle again.

“You are cute, Jonginnie.” 

At the endearment, Jongin looked back at Taemin, cheeks on fire with embarrassment and something that Jongin wasn’t entirely sure what it was. But it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, and it made his heart do little summersaults in his chest. He rubbed a hand over the place where Taemin had touched his chest and cleared his throat.

“Why are you even here?” he asked Taemin.

“Oh, yeah. I got a bit lost on my way back home and then I saw you lying here and I wanted to take a closer look. To make sure you were okay.”

“Now you have looked at me and seen that I am okay. You can go,” Jongin huffed, irritation rising in him.

“I will,” Taemin answered, unaffected by his tone and still smiling. “But I would like to meet you again, Jongin. Would that be okay with you?”

That took Jongin by surprise. “Why would you like that?”

“I would like to be your friend, Jongin. It seems like you could use one. If you want it, that is. Can you trust a demon to be your friend?”

Jongin studied his face for a moment. Taemin had shown nothing but kindness towards him and maybe it was a bit naive of Jongin to trust them, his enemy. But something inside him told Jongin that it was okay, that Taemin was safe for him.

“Yes,” he answered Taemin and the smile that spread over their face at that could compete with the sun in the sky.

**♥️**

The meetings with Taemin became a regular thing. The demon was nice and cute and funny and they treated Jongin like an equal being. Taemin had no restrictions when it came to touching him, to look Jongin straight in the face, to frown when the nearly healed part of his lip split open again.

Taemin would sit next to him, or opposite, and press a piece of cloth carefully against Jongin’s lip until it stopped bleeding. That was normally something only his brothers would do and it made a weird feeling spread through Jongin’s body. Something that he had never felt before. The tender fluttering of his heart, the weird feeling in his stomach, the way his cheeks blushed every time he thought about Taemin. And it wasn’t just that. Taemin was a very tactile being, always in Jongin’s personal space. Fingers brushing over every bit of uncovered skin they could reach, leaning against Jongin while they talked or just watched the passing clouds above them.

He was also able to talk to Taemin about everything that crossed his mind and he never felt belittled or weird while doing it. They also discovered that Taemin was only a bit older than Jongin, probably a decade or two. But when you’ve been around for nearly as long as earth existed you tended to forget such minor details. And it didn’t matter anyway.

Taemin had a family as well. They were five and they had been up to a lot of shenanigans too over the aeons of time. The stories made Jongin laugh so hard sometimes that his stomach hurt. He loved the feelings Taemin was able to rise within him.

Taemin really was someone special.

“Jongdae,” Jongin asked quietly one night when they lay in bed together, the older man carding his fingers tenderly through Jongin’s hair.

“What is it, Nini?” his brother answered, their eyes meeting.

“Are all demon’s our enemies? Or are there exemptions?”

Jongdae studied Jongin’s face for a short moment, his thumb gracing over his cheek. “No, Nini. There aren’t any exemptions.” Jongin’s face fell and Jongdae cradled him against his chest, the taller angel trying to make himself smaller. “There are so many reasons why they fell, things they have done to get this punishment. They were like us once but when God created the humans they started to rebel, declining to pay them respect, disobeying God themself. Some of them only started to ask questions, wanted to have a free will. But that’s not how it worked, that’s still not how it is working. And I know we could all get in big trouble, but your brothers and I think it is time for it to change. I know why you are asking,” Jongdae whispered against Jongin’s ear and he stiffened. “Don’t worry, Jongin. If I thought you were in danger or this demon would be a threat to our family, I already would have interfered and have told the others. But we are not blind and I know you very well, Jongin-ah. They are good for you, whatever they do. You are more comfortable, you smile more, you are coming out of your room more and more. Happiness looks good on you, Nini.”

“I think Taemin is special,” Jongin whispered against Jongdae’s collarbone.

“Is that their name?” Jongin nodded and Jongdae hummed. “Are they your friend?”

“I suppose they are. Taemin said they wanted to be my friend because they thought I could need one.”

“Tell your Taemin that we all agree with this and that we are grateful that they crossed your path.”

Jongin felt his cheeks heat up again and his heart doing that strange _‘stop to beat faster afterwards’_ thing at Jongdae’s words. But what did Jongdae mean with _‘his Taemin’_ … Taemin was their own being, they didn’t belong to anyone, especially not to Jongin. They were just friends.

**♥️**

Jongin hated the meetings for new assignments. It always meant extra stress for him and to hope that he wouldn’t get a new human to protect and to watch over. They always gave him the lost causes, those who barely made it through the first decade of life. It made Jongin sad, left him in a bad place every single time when one of his fosterling’s had to go way too soon. It was a rare occasion that he was summoned with his brothers, but next to Junmyeon and Baekhyun he was the only one of their family who was without a fosterling at the moment.

Jongin stood between Chanyeol and Sehun, the hood of his sweater hiding most of his face. Baekhyun was leaning against Jongin’s back, whispering unflattering things about passing angels, which made Jongin smile a bit. He could feel the warmth radiating from the three as they were pretty close, shielding him with their bodies from the others. Minseok was in front of him, probably wearing his murder face to shoo away every other attendee before they could approach them.

Junmyeon turned around and rolled his eyes when the four archangels walked in, looking all high and mighty with their wings out and in their impeccable clothes and stoic faces. Jongin hid his snicker behind his hand and Chanyeol elbowed him but tried to suppress a laugh himself. Gabriel rattled down a prepared speech before the new assignments were handed out.

When it was their turn, Jongin followed Junmyeon and Baekhyun, his fingers clenched in the latter’s sleeve. As they approached the table, Michael handed out three letters to them. White paper with golden ink, stating the name and date of birth of their fosterling’s. Junmyeon’s eyes flew over their names on top of the letters and handed Baekhyun’s over to him. Jongin had his hand already stretched out, waiting for Junmyeon to hand his over as well.

But he didn’t. 

Jongin lifted his head, peeking over his brother’s shoulder. Reading the details.

A smile spread over Jongin’s face. His fosterling had already been born. A little girl named Nike, three years old and living in New Zealand and his protection would start as soon as Jongin took the letter. He was about to take it when Junmyeon’s thumb shifted and revealed another date … _‘Date of Death’_

“What?” he croaked, taking a step back. The date was five months from now.

Jongin felt his legs give out, but Chanyeol’s arm wrapped around his middle and protecting him from falling down. Minseok was by his side only a second later, already fretting over him, while Sehun cursed under his breath when Junmyeon showed him the letter.

Why had he expected anything else? Another lost cause for the Monster. One more attempt to make him feel useless, unloved … not worthy of something good.

“What is it this time,” Michael snarled from the desk.

And it was probably all that it took to finally let Junmyeon lose his cool.

“ _‘What is it this time.’_? Are you fucking kidding me? You gave a fosterling to Jongin that already has a Date of Death?”

There was a murmur going through the crowd. It was rare that angels got assigned to fosterling’s that already were known to not survive. They actually had a special department for those cases.

“Well, the girl needs someone to help her through that hard time and it’s not like she will mind his face. She’s too young for that and of course, there will be someone from Azrael’s department as well. We are not that careless, Junmyeon.”

“Are they serious,” Minseok growled under his breath.

Jongin couldn’t breathe. Sure they were insulting him constantly, they always gave him the cases no one wanted. The pity cases anyone thought were lost anyway. But Jongin paid them attention, gave his fosterling’s his all even when not all of them were able to see him. He loved to look after children, they never cared about his looks and they loved when he made silly faces or was there for them when they had a rough time and needed a friend, someone who would listen, who would shelter their little hearts from troubles. All of Jongin’s children grew up to have great personalities and achieved a lot during their lives. Most of them were kind and gentle, helping others like their guardian angel had helped them.

But this … this was … Jongin wanted to go home. But for Nike’s sake, he would push through, no matter what pain it would cause him.

“This is a new low, even for you,” Junmyeon spoke with a calm voice.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Gabriel answered nonchalantly. “Jongin should be glad that he even got an assignment.”

“I am going to strangle him,” Baekhyun growled, about to make a move, but Sehun held him back.

Junmyeon turned around, his eyes landing on Chanyeol first than Jongin. He had hidden half of his face against Chanyeol’s shoulder, Minseok’s hand rubbing soothing circles into his back, which calmed Jongin at least a bit. Jongin could see how Junmyeon’s jaw clenched and unclenched as he watched them.

“You are calling me dramatic?” Junmyeon asked the archangels, his eyes still on his brothers. “You insult me and my family at every chance you get. We know that all of you degrade Jongin whenever you can, that you talk badly about us behind our backs because we still protect him, that we haven’t abandoned him.” He reached out and petted Jongin’s arm. “We were created as one family. We are one,” Junmyeon growled, turning his attention back to the higher ranking angels. “And when you insult Jongin, you insult all of us, no matter what.”

“He is an abomination,” Michael countered.

“Jongin is the kindest and sweetest of all of us and if you would finally stop reducing him to his looks, you would be able to see it too,” Minseok answered heatedly.

Junmyeon looked back at his brothers. “Take Jongin home, Chanyeol. Make sure Jongdae and Kyungsoo will look after him and that he gets all the love he deserves. I will take Jongin’s assignment myself.”

“You can’t,” Gabriel started but stopped at Junmyeon’s glare.

“I can and I will.”

“This is not your decision to make, Junmyeon!”

Jongin had followed the exchange quietly. He didn’t want Junymeon to get into trouble just because of him. “Hyung, I can do it. It’s not a big deal.”

Junmyeon came over and placed his hand on Jongin’s cheek. “I know you can, Jongin-ah. But you don’t have too. We all know that you would do a great job, but I don’t want to see you crumble and break in the aftermath of it, okay. I know how attached you get to them. We can talk about it later, yeah? Now you go home with Channie and let Jongdae take care of you.”

Jongin nodded. “Okay.”

Chanyeol didn’t wait any longer before he turned around, his arm wrapped around Jongin’s middle and escorted him out of the hall. He didn’t say a word when he teleported them home. Jongin didn’t feel good. He wanted to hide in his room, in his bed and never come out again. He felt sad for little Nike, being so young and to have to endure something so harsh already and now he knew that she wouldn’t even see her fourth birthday. Jongin’s heart broke into a million pieces.

Yixing had been the only one home on their return. Chanyeol told him what had happened and Yixing was out of the door faster than they had been able to look. It was a mess and Jongin feared the outcome of their little rebellion. All he wanted was his brothers to be safe and not to get into deeper trouble because of him.

Jongin sat down on the sofa, wrapping himself into one of the fluffy and warm blankets, trying to hide from the world. His thoughts kept wandering to little Nike. What did she look like? Was she a happy child? Would she like him? Maybe he could go with Junymeon and see her.

Jongin heard the front door open, Kyungsoo’s and Jongdae’s cheery voices filling the quietness until they entered the living room. Chanyeol talked to them in a hushed voice and it didn’t take long for Jongdae to slip on the sofa next to Jongin. He didn’t touch, not knowing if he was allowed. Jongin didn’t know if he wanted to be coddled right now, if he could handle the pampering.

“Is there anything you want, Nini?” Jongdae asked after a moment and he shook his head. “Okay. Just let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be in the kitchen with the others.”

Jongin let them go and stayed in his place at the sofa. He didn’t move for hours after their return home. He didn’t react to the others coming home or their questions, to the soft touches, their encouraging words. The food Kyungsoo placed on the table stayed untouched because he wasn’t hungry. Jongin didn’t feel the urge to do anything at all, felt himself spiralling again, falling back into old habits, thinking about what if’s and why’s. Maybe he should leave the house, leave all this behind him, search a new place and start anew? Hidden from the world and all angels, carving out his miserable existence. Maybe he would be better of alone? Maybe his brothers could lead a better life without him … It would make things a lot easier for them, that was for sure. No more troubles to keep him safe and protected, they would finally be free to do what they wanted, could lead a peaceful life without his existence.

“Hey, Jonginnie.” 

Warm fingertips brushed between his eyebrows, making him shudder lightly. He had been half asleep, not truly aware of his surroundings but when he blinked his eyes open, he was sure he was dreaming. And what a good dream it was seeing Taemin, even when the furrow between their nicely shaped eyebrows made Jongin frown. He wanted it to go away, wanted to see Taemin’s radiant smile and the warmth their eyes always held when they were together. Jongin freed his hand from the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him and took Taemin’s hand in his. It felt so warm and real, especially for a dream and Jongin let out a content sigh.

“There you are,” Taemin whispered with a small smile.

Jongin couldn’t make sense out of his words, but it didn’t matter because Taemin was here and he could breathe a bit easier. Whatever others might think about him, Jongin knew that Taemin would stay with him. They had promised after all.

With their free hand, Taemin opened the blanket-cocoon and slid behind Jongin on the couch, closing the cocoon again. They wrapped their arm around Jongin and pulled him against their chest.

“Sleep a bit more, Jonginnie. I will be here when you wake up. And then we will try to get some food into you, yeah?”

“Okay,” Jongin breathed before he closed his eyes again, Taemin’s arm holding him tightly.

Jongin thought he felt soft lips press against the sensitive skin behind his ears when he drifted back to sleep, but that couldn’t be. 

It was all just a dream.

♥️

A touch to his nose and loud cursing woke him up the next time. Jongin was still wrapped in the blanket, surrounded by warmth. Black little spots danced behind his closed eyelids, the sun probably shining directly on his face. He must have fallen asleep on his favourite spot on the couch. The one that was all warm and nice when the afternoon sun shone through the big windows of their living room.

Jongin startled when there was a loud slapping sound and another curse.

“What the fuck Taemin!” an unknown voice whimpered.

“I told you to stop, Minho!” a very well known voice hissed. “Let him sleep, hyung.”

“But he’s so cute when his nose scrunches up,” the other person whined.

“Go and bother Yixing or Minseok, hyung!” Taemin ordered and Jongin tried to open his eyes.

“Taemin?” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep and raw from not being used in some time.

There was some shuffling and a voice retreating, mumbling profanities under their breath, when a warm palm touched his cheek, thumb caressing his temple. The light was blocked, the spots behind his eyelids fading and his skin getting a bit colder as soon as the sun was gone from his face.

“Careful, Jonginnie. You have been asleep for a while. Let your eyes adjust to the light slowly.”

He hummed his affirmation while blinking his eyes open. It took Jongin a few attempts to pry them open. They needed a few more seconds to adjust and when Taemin’s face came into focus Jongin couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on his lips. Their chin was resting on the back of their hand, while they watched Jongin intently.

“You are here,” he rasped, pressing his cheek firmer against Taemin’s palm.

“I promised I would be here when you wake up.”

“‘thought it was a dream,” Jongin confessed and Taemin smiled wrily.

“What a nightmare that must have been.”

But Jongin shook his head. “Best dream I had in a long time.”

Taemin chuckled. “I knew you were a charmer the moment we met, Jonginnie. You okay?”

Jongin removed one of his hands from under the blanket and placed it over Taemin’s. “I am now.” And was that a blush that started to spread over Taemin’s cheeks? That was the most adorable look he had ever seen.

A loud, exasperated sigh disrupted their little moment and Jongin raised his eyes from Taemin’s face to see Jongdae with a bowl of food in his hand. He was trailed by another man that Jongin had never seen before, but the ethereal beauty let him come to the conclusion that it might be one of Taemin’s brothers.

“I am heartbroken to interrupt your sweet little moment, but Nini has to eat,” Jongdae said.

Without preamble, he bumped his hip against Taemin’s shoulder so that they moved away and he could sit down in front of Jongin. Jongdae looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, his cheeks sunken in. Jongin moved his hand from Taemin’s hand to Jongdae’s head, carding his fingers through the dark hair.

“I am sorry, Dae,” he whispered and the older shook his head.

“It’s okay, Nini. I am glad you are awake now and that you are feeling better. Even when we had to let a bunch of demons into our house for that.”

“Oh stop complaining!” the other man said. “You’re enjoying our company. And it’s not like we would have let our little brother walk into the house of Exo alone. Nine angels and one baby demon. Just imagine what could have had happened to Taemin.”

It was funny to see Jongdae and Taemin roll their eyes at the same time. 

“I would have been able to deal with it, Kibum,” Taemin sighed. “And if they had wanted to end me they would have had a lot of opportunities in the past few weeks.”

“He’s right,” Yixing said, showing up behind the other man, Kibum. “But we saw the impact that Taemin’s presence had on Jongin. It was good and we are glad they found each other.”

Jongin frowned at that, but when a spoon was nudged against his lips, he looked back at Jongdae, who watched him with a raised eyebrow and he opened his mouth obediently. It was only porridge but after a long time of nothing to eat, Jongin was starving and it tasted heavenly. With a moan, Jongin opened his mouth again and Jongdae fed him spoon after spoon of porridge. Taemin shifted after a few moments from the ground and sat on the couch next to Jongin, his thighs pressed against Jongin’s, legs dangling over his shin’s, Jongin’s hand held tightly between Taemin’s fingers.

The others started to trickle into the room one after another, taking up all the available space, chatting quietly and Jongin’s heart was filled with warmth and adoration for his family. And for Taemin and his brothers too. 

Jongin let his eyes roam through the room, taking in all the faces, well-known and new. But there was one missing.

“Where’s Myeon?” he asked and he saw the brief flicker of darkness crossing Jongdae’s face and how all of the others fell quiet at his question. Jongin’s heart clenched. “Where is he?”

It was Taemin who answered him. “He’s with Nike. She’s having a bad day.”

Jongin pushed himself up into a sitting position. He felt weak, but he wanted to see Junmyeon and he wanted to see the little girl. It would have been his job to take care of her, not Junmyeon’s. Jongin retreated his hand from Taemin’s hold before he stood up, swaying slightly on his feet.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked when he started to walk to the front door.

“Going to Junmyeon.”

“Jongin-ah,” Yixing sighed. “You should rest. You’ve been out for nearly a week. Junmyeon can deal with the situation.”

“I think I’ve rested enough,” Jongin murmured. “And Junmyeon needs to rest too. Nike’s my fosterling, doesn’t matter that Junmyeon accepted her next to his assignment.” Jongin slipped into his sneakers and lifted his head, facing twelve worried faces. “I have to take responsibility for once. You can’t shelter me from the world for the rest of my life …” When Minseok tried to open his mouth, Jongin stopped him. “I know you could and that you would, but not this time. I have to be brave for myself, okay?”

The others nodded, even when they all looked like they wanted to hug the shit out of Jongin, even Taemin’s brothers He was glad they didn’t because he would have changed his mind otherwise. Only Taemin made a tentative step forward. Their eyes were unreadable for Jongin, Taemin’s face bare of any expression, like they weren’t able to read the situation. Jongin’s eyes met Taemin’s, who reached out with one hand and with a small smile Jongin took it, intertwining their fingers.

“You don’t have to be alone to be brave, Jonginnie. Let me come with you,” Taemin said with a calm voice.

Jongin mulled the idea over in his head for a moment. It wasn’t Taemin’s job to come with him, they shouldn’t even care about him or the little girl. Taemin and his brothers shouldn’t be at their house in the first place, but still, they were. And Jongin still didn’t understand why, but he was sure it had something to do with him and Taemin being friends. And come to think about it, it would be nice to have a friend with him when he looked after Nike.

“Okay,” Jongin answered with a smile, making Taemin smile in return.

When they arrived at the hospital, Junmyeon was fast asleep. Taemin stayed close to the door as Jongin entered the room. He took a blanket from the closet shelf and wrapped it around Junmyeon’s shoulders, making sure he was warm and comfortable before he walked over to the bed.

His little baby fosterling was asleep too, her breath coming in small shallow puffs and Jongin sat on the chair next to her bed, one arm laid on the mattress, his cheek resting on his underarm while the fingers of his free hand stroked feathery over Nike’s hair. She was pretty and delicately built. It was a shame that her life was only meant to be this short. But Jongin was able to feel the strength her little body still held, that every fibre in her fought against whatever it was that made her sick. When Jongin cupped the back of her head, Nike turned in her sleep, tiny arms wrapping around Jongin’s forearm, his thumb brushing over her eyebrow.

Jongin turned his head a bit when he sensed Taemin stepping next to him. Their presence here was dangerous. When someone from Azrael’s angels would walk in on them, Jongin was sure that hell would break loose, metaphorically speaking. 

The sad expression on Taemin’s face made Jongin’s heart clench and he wished he could touch the other, but that would have meant that he would have to let go of Nike, which would probably wake her and she needed her sleep.

“She is so tiny,” Taemin whispered, their fingers touching Jongin’s shoulder lightly.

Jongin smiled when he looked back at her. “She’s a fighter. I can already tell.”

Taemin’s fingers clenched in the fabric of Jongin’s shoulder. “It’s cruel to let all of you watch over these humans. They are bound to destruction, it’s in their blood and still God forces you to take care of them, to watch them grow and become adults and to see them wither away … that’s heartless.” Taemin let out a heavy breath through their nose. “How can you endure this? How often did you have to watch this before, Jonginnie? How often did they assign you to someone who was bound to fail? To someone as fragile as this little girl?” Jongin turned his head at a small sniffle to see the tears in Taemin’s eyes. “It’s not fair of them treating you like this. You did nothing wrong.”

Jongin lifted his head so he could take Taemin’s free hand in his. “Neither did she. Neither did any of my fosterlings. You said it the first time we met, Taemin: I have a big heart, I sense their hurt because I know exactly how they feel. What it means to be different. I gave all of them my everything and yes it is cruel to follow them through their lives, to watch over them, to guide them and protect them. But they have no one else who would do it.” Jongin’s finger stroked over Nike’s cheek. “It’s not much different from what my brothers did for me all the time. They protected me, guided me, loved me when no one else did. I always have been prone to give into my darker thoughts, to dwell on these emotions, let the things others think or say about me get the better of me. But a few weeks ago things started to change …”

“Why?” Taemin asked, voice curious.

“Because I met you,” Jongin said. 

He could see the various emotions flicker over Taemin’s face. The confusion, the realisation, the surprise and something that Jongin didn’t want to name, or even hope for because he wasn’t sure if it meant the same for Taemin as it did for him. But now wasn’t the time for them to talk about it. Someone else needed his attention more and he needed to sort his thoughts.

They had all the time in the world anyway. They were immortal creatures. A few more months of waiting didn’t mean anything to them. They would be over in the blink of an eye.

Jongin raised Taemin’s hand to his lips and placed a kiss to their wrist.

“You should go now. One of Azrael’s minions will be here in a few moments.” Jongin felt that Taemin was reluctant to let go. “Don’t worry about me. I am okay.”

Taemin gave a curt nod. “When will I see you again?”

“As soon as it is possible. I promise. I will meet you at home.”

Taemin bent forward and placed a tender kiss against Jongin’s forehead. “I will be waiting.”

After that, he was gone, only a few seconds before another angel walked into the room. Jongin ignored him as good as he could, concentrating on little Nike and the warm feeling that spread through his chest.

♥️

It was raining heavily the day Jongin returned home.

It was like the clouds were crying with him, his heart heavy after he held baby Nike in his arms until the end. She had fallen asleep in his arms, surrounded by her family, surrounded by love and warmth and without any pain.. Jongin had made sure of it. He felt drained, emotionally, mentally and bodily. He was looking forward to spend the rest of the day in bed, to sleep his sadness away.

Jongin toed off his shoes, the house very quiet, his brothers probably out in town. He walked down the hallway to his room, pushing the door open, head hung low, brushing away the tears with the back of his hand. Jongin frowned a bit when he saw the unmade state of his bed, the crumpled pillows and the shoved down blanket. That was weird because none of his brothers would sleep in his room while he was gone. It was like an unwritten law not to enter their rooms when they weren’t home.

When he heard the bathroom door open, Jongin turned his head and his heart stopped to beat for a moment.

“Taemin,” he breathed and the demon looked up at him, blonde hair mussed from sleep, reminding Jongin of a birds nest, their face swollen from sleep, wearing one of his sweaters, way too big on their lithe frame. And yet Taemin was the prettiest thing Jongin had ever seen in his whole existence. “You’re here …”

“‘course I am. I said I’d be waiting for your return.” Taemin shuffled over to him, pulling Jongin in a weird side hug. “You okay?” Taemin asked quietly, voice muffled against his shoulder.

Jongin shook his head and Taemin wrapped his fingers around the back of Jongin’s neck. “Let’s go to bed, yeah? You should sleep.”

Jongin nodded and without any preamble he followed Taemin to his bed and dressed down to his shorts and t-shirt before he climbed under the covers, followed by Taemin. The demon pulled the blanket over them, blocking out the world, and snuggled against Jongin. It was a good feeling to have a warm body pressed against his own, it grounded Jongin. He turned his head and buried his nose in Taemin’s hair.

“Is Nike …” Taemin started, but stopped, calm voice heavy with emotions and Jongin tightened his arm around the other.

“She’s free now,” Jongin answered, sounding drained even in his own ears, as he closed his eyes.

Taemin rearranged them so Jongin could bury his face in their neck and let the tears come. It felt different from when Jongdae held him like that. Jongin knew that Taemin’s heart was as heavy as his own, that he mourned the little human just as much as he did. He had a lot of time to think about what he felt towards Taemin and came to the realisation that it was what humans called love.

Sure Jongin loved plenty. His brothers, his fosterlings, he had loved Nike too, he even loved Taemin’s brothers. But with Taemin … it felt different. Deeper, meaningful, stronger.

It felt like more.

So much more.

They stayed like this for a long time, until Taemin’s finger in Jongin’s hair tightened and they made him look up. It was like Taemin was searching for something in his eyes and they leaned their forehead against Jongin’s after a few seconds, eyes closing.

“I … I never thought that it would be possible that I could feel like this for anyone like I feel for you, Jonginnie. I always thought a demon wouldn’t be able to fall in love with someone, thought it was stupid, because who would ever be able to love one of God’s cursed and forsaken and imperfect children. But then I met you …” Taemin opened their eyes and stared at Jongin. “You, who thought about himself that he was cursed and forsaken and imperfect and not worth to be loved. You who is the most beautiful creation under the sun for me. You are a blessing, Jongin, you are the perfection to my own flaws, the one missing piece,” Taemin’s fingers brushed over Jongin’s cheek. “You complete me, Jongin.”

Jongin smiled like an idiot, feeling his lip split open again. “I love you too, Taeminnie.”

He lifted his head as Taemin bent forward.

And then they kissed.

♥️The end♥️

**Author's Note:**

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